Isla Aves
Isla de Aves from space, 2001
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | 15°40′18″N 63°36′59″W / 15.67167°N 63.61639°W |
| Length | 375 m (1,230 ft) |
| Width | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Administration | |
 Federal dependencies of Venezuela
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Isla de Aves (Spanish for "Island of Birds" or "Birds Island"), or Aves Island, is a Caribbean dependency of Venezuela. It has been the subject of numerous territorial disputes between the neighboring independent islands, such as Dominica, and European mother countries of surrounding dependent islands, such as the Netherlands. It lies to the west of the Windward Islands chain at 15°40′18″N 63°36′59″W / 15.67167°N 63.61639°W. It is 375 metres (1,230 ft) in length and never more than 50 metres (160 ft) in width, and rises 4 metres (13 ft) above the sea on a calm day. Under a particular interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea it could be classified as a rock, which would only give Venezuela a twelve nautical mile economic zone. However, Venezuela claims it is an island, which grants it a 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone. Mostly sand, a small portion has some scrubby vegetation. It is sometimes completely submerged during hurricanes. It is 185 kilometres (115 mi) southwest of the closest land, Montserrat, 225 kilometres (140 mi) west of Dominica and 547 kilometres (340 mi) north of the Venezuelan mainland.
For some time the island has been in danger of eroding altogether, and Venezuelan authorities are considering ways to protect it, along with the territorial claims to the Caribbean Sea which radiate from Isla Aves. The impact of Hurricane Allen in the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season divided it into two parts, but accretions of coral have subsequently reunited it. On August 17, 2007, the force of Hurricane Dean severely eroded the island.
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Wikipedia